Conductor Energizes Symphony Program

December 24, 1988|By TIM SMITH, Music Writer

Hugh Wolff may not be a household name in the classical music world, but just give him time.

The young music director of the New Jersey Symphony, who also is the new principal conductor of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, first came to attention in the late 1970s and early `80s as the associate conductor of the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. His performances with that ensemble were remarkable for their drive and crystalline detail, something that couldn`t always be said when the orchestra`s music director, Mstislav Rostropovich, was on the podium.

The qualities that distinguished Wolff then still were vividly apparent when Wolff led the New World Symphony Thursday evening at Miami`s Gusman Cultural Center. The concert positively crackled with energy as Wolff whipped up an interesting mix of dynamic Czech and American music.

While memorizing scores isn`t necessarily such a big deal, one doesn`t expect to hear the suite from Bernstein`s 1945 ballet score, Fancy Free, with all of its bracing syncopation, conducted from memory. But Wolff clearly had the piece firmly in his head, and that left him free to concentrate on all the prismatic tone colors and the quirky twists of phrase. It was an instinctive interpretation that highlighted the composer`s unique synthesis of jazz idioms.

Wolff had the orchestra playing at full-throttle. The strings zipped along neatly and, though there were some discrepancies of tone in the brass and woodwinds, those players had the requisite bite.

Framing the Bernstein were works by the two leading Czech masters of the 19th century. The overture to Smetana`s The Bartered Bride is no mere curtain- raiser, but an extraordinary challenge for any orchestra. The strings must articulate a fugal theme cleanly at a supersonic speed; the wind instruments must jump in bravely with a jaunty dance tune.

The New Worlders met the challenge with considerable elan as Wolff set a no- nonsense pace. The performance was by no means flawless; the basses were indistinct when their turn at the fugal theme came along and there were intonation problems in the woodwinds. But as invariably seems to be the case when this orchestra performs, the spirit was unmistakably willing.

Dvorak`s Symphony No. 6 is a sunny, beautifully crafted work with one of the most electric scherzos in the entire repertoire. Wolff captured the soaring lyricism and playfulness of the score, all the while allowing subtleties of phrasing and orchestration to emerge tellingly.

Again, the ensemble was operating on high-octane, fully responsive to the conductor`s every gesture. There were some rough edges along the way and even a hint of tiredness by the finale. The brass did not quite achieve a smooth tonal blend to complement the bravado of their attacks, and the strings could have used more warmth in places. But, overall, the performance had vigor, stylistic nuance and plenty of character.

With luck, the orchestra will have a chance to work under Wolff`s baton again. Come to think of it, he ought to be a welcome guest with other local ensembles as well.